HEALTH NEWS AND ADVICE

ISSUE25

In this issue: Transformation programme page 5 Taking the time to be mindful pages 6–7

The dangers of legal highs page 10

02 ISSUE25 ISSUE25 03

letter from the chairman contents

newsNurses are world leaders with new support for children with diabetes Community healthcare team expands to reduce hearing loss .................... 3

Street Triage service widens Reducing the number of mentally unwell people held in police cells. . 3

Mum thanks ‘amazing nurses’ who helped improve young son’s severe skin condition High praise from mum in Altrincham ................................... 4

New role supports older people to gain independence Improved community care for older people living in Oldham .................. 4

Putting quality at the heart of services for people with a learning disability Celebrating high quality care .......... 4

news featureTransformation programme Help us improve your local health services ..................................5

mental healthMindfulness Taking the time to be mindful ....6–7

membersGovernor Elections 2015 We need your votes! ..........................8Get more involved in Bury Helping to shape our services ...........8Arts for Health and Wellbeing Achievement Awards Event review .......................................9NHS trust joins national Dementia network to improve care Pennine Care has become part of the Dementia Action Alliance ...................9

self-care‘Legal highs’ – just because they are legal does not mean they are safe! Report on the increasing availability and use of a range of new psychoactive substances ............... 10

mental healthChild and adolescent emotional wellbeing and mental health services are changing for the better The number of children and young people experiencing emotional and mental health issues is ever increasing. ...................................... 11

a day in the life ...... of a Nurse Practitioner Laura Ahmed tells us what it’s like .. 12

Pennine Post is also available online at www.penninecare.nhs.uk Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust is a provider of health services in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, Bury, Oldham, Stockport, Trafford, Tameside and Glossop. Pennine Post is sent to all our Foundation Trust members. If you would like to unsubscribe please call Donna Wrigley on 0161 716 3374 or email donna.wrigley1@nhs.net

Any comments ideas or suggestions? Please contact: The Communications Department, on 0161 716 3188 or email: communications.penninecare@nhs.netTwitter: @penninecarenhs Facebook: facebook.com/PennineCareNHSFTAs part of Pennine Care’s commitment to a sustainable future, this newsletter is printed on carbon balanced paper. When you have finished with it please recycle it. All information is correct at the time of going to press.© Published by Pennine Care April 2015. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

*

Welcome to the summer edition of Pennine Post and the first of the new financial year 2015/16.

We’re very much looking forward to the next 12 months at Pennine Care, as we continue to develop and implement our plans for service transformation across the Trust. We envisage that there will be more opportunities than ever before for our members to get involved and help us shape the future of Pennine Care.

You can read more about our plans for transformation on page 5 of this edition and contact details for our membership team can be found on page 9 if you want more information about how you can be involved.

This edition also includes an update about our Governor election process. On page 8 you can find out how to cast your vote for a local representative on our Council of Governors.

As Pennine Care is a mental health and community services trust, many of our teams recently marked Mental Health Week in May. The theme of this year’s event was ‘mindfulness’ and how it can help improve emotional wellbeing – If you’d like to find out more about it, turn to page 6.

As always, we welcome your feedback on any of the topics covered in this edition. Details of how to get in touch can be found below.

John Schofield, Chairman

02 ISSUE25 ISSUE25 03

news

Pioneering children’s diabetes specialist nurses in Rochdale are the first in the world to use a new insulin pump to help young people manage their condition.

Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurses, working within Pennine Care, worked closely with Roche Diabetes Care to use their new ‘Accu-Chek Insight’ insulin pumps with two 17-year-old service users, Ella Hodges and Hannah Kenton.

The pump includes an innovative touch screen remote control handset and newly developed prefilled insulin cartridges which aim to make administering insulin easier for the users.

The Specialist Nurses received support from Roche to trial the new system which allowed them to

offer Accu-Chek Insight insulin pump therapy four months before it was released nationally.

This meant Ella and Hannah were the first young people in the world to use the new pumps outside medical trials.

Lead Paediatric Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist Mena Gilbert, said she and colleague Joanne Titchen had now introduced the pump to other children in the service.

She said: “We were delighted to be offered the opportunity to be the first paediatric team in the world to launch the new pump which will help the children and young people and their families to manage their diabetes and insulin administration more easily.”

Nurses are world leaders with new support for children with diabetes

Pictured: (Front Left) Ella Hodges and (right) Hannah Kenton with Pennine Care nurses Mena Gilbert (Left back) and Joanne Titchen

Street Triage service widens

Pictured left to right: Matthew Pattison, Police Officer Nana Pabby, Kären Maneely

A service that aims to help reduce the number of mentally unwell people held in police cells has expanded.

Street Triage, delivered by Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Greater Manchester Police and North West Ambulance Service, gives police officers and paramedics 24/7 access to a team of mental health professionals. If they attend an incident involving someone who has mental health needs, the Street Triage team can be called upon for advice and support to ensure the individual receives the right care.

The Rochdale and Bury service, which was originally commissioned as a pilot until March 2015, has been extended until September 2015. In Tameside, a successful pilot in 2014 led to the commissioning of the service until March 2016.

Melita Worswick, Tameside Police Chief Inspector, said: “This helpline and subsequent support provided by Pennine Care will be invaluable to my police officers. We often deal with people at their most vulnerable and to be able to make joint decisions about how best to deal with a situation will only increase the options available to the police. Allowing them to make a more informed decision will ensure the best outcome for everyone involved.”

04 ISSUE25

news

A mum from Altrincham has praised the ‘amazing nurses’ who helped bring her son’s skin condition under control after years of pain and discomfort.

Rebecca Westwood says she had reached the ‘point of desperation’ after trying for years to find an effective treatment for her son James, 9, who suffered from painful eczema.

Rebecca explained: “James’ eczema got progressively worse.

New role supports older people in Oldham to gain independence

It was affecting him on a daily basis. He wanted to get changed in the cloakroom when he had P.E. and was just a very unhappy little boy at that stage.”

After attempts to manage James’ eczema proved unsuccessful, James was referred by his GP to the Trafford Children’s Community Nursing Team for extra support.

Rebecca said: “The nurses were amazing. Before we were referred to the Children’s Community Nursing Team I was at the point of desperation. I felt like no one could help us. Now, a huge weight has been lifted. The nurses have such extensive knowledge, I thought they were specialists in treating eczema but it’s just one aspect of what they do. I cannot rate them highly enough.”

Putting quality at the heart of services for people with a learning disability

Mum thanks ‘amazing nurses’ who helped improve young son’s severe skin condition

Pictured: Rebecca and James Westwood

Older people living in Oldham will have access to improved community care and support thanks to partnership working between Pennine Care and Age UK Oldham.

The partnership has seen the appointment of Promoting Independent People (PIP) advisors, a new role designed to help older people take control and live a more independent life.

The PIP advisors work closely with the integrated community health and social care teams operating across the borough, as well as local GPs. Older people will be referred by health professionals to the PIP workers if they may be at risk of feeling isolated or anxious about their health issues

and need extra support to regain confidence and live life to the full.

Donna Speat, PIP Manager for Age UK Oldham, said: “GPs and healthcare professionals working in the community come across older people who have experienced events or circumstances that have affected their confidence. The PIP advisors are there to form close links with those working in health services so that those older people have an extra layer of support, whether they are still receiving or have been discharged from health care.”

For more information, speak to your GP or contact Donna on: 0161 622 9277 or pip@ageukoldham.org.uk

More than 150 people came together to celebrate the high quality care that is delivered to people with a learning disability, by our committed and compassionate staff.

The annual Emotional Wellbeing and Learning Disability Conference, organised by Pennine Care’s Learning Disability Directorate, aimed to raise awareness of the emotional needs of people with a learning disability and to showcase a range of creative, psychologically-minded interventions to improve emotional wellbeing.

The event was supported by three nationally-acclaimed experts in the field of learning disabilities: Noelle Blackman, Chief Executive of national charity Respond; Martin Seager, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Dene Donalds, Mindfulness Facilitator and Trainer.

Attendees also heard from service users about their experiences of services and enjoyed a performance from the talented members of Tameside Arts Ltd.

A series of workshops were held during the event which focused on the following topics: creative approaches to mindfulness, making therapy accessible, emotional wellbeing for staff, family and carers and building an emotionally aware and resilient workforce.

The event was a huge success and the feedback received was overwhelmingly positive.

ISSUE25 05

news feature

Help improve your local health servicesIn the last Pennine Post, we updated you on our transformation programme which is looking at how we need to change and improve how we provide care to our patients, service users and carers.

We all know that the NHS continues to experience significant financial challenges and increased demands for services, so we need to rethink how we do things to make sure people still get the care and treatment they need.

People’s needs have changed a lot over the years and we are now living longer, suffer with multiple health problems and have more social issues to deal with like unemployment and money worries, which all impact on one another.

This means that the NHS and Councils need to work more closely together than ever before and bring in additional help from non-traditional services like community groups and voluntary organisations.

As Pennine Care provides both community and mental health services, we can care for people’s physical and mental health problems together, meaning we can care for the whole person instead of treating things separately.

“The key to our success will be to involve the people who use our services right from the start”This whole person care approach ensures that our services are more joined up but it does require a fundamental shift in the way that our services are delivered currently.

The best type of care for the majority of patients is provided outside hospital wherever possible, either in people’s own homes or within a community-based centre. This is key for Pennine Care, as many of our services are focussed on preventing people from needing to go to hospital in the first place.

We have started to develop ideas for how we will provide whole person care, but it is really at the start of a long journey.

The key to our success will be to involve the people who use our services right from the start, so that we can learn from your experiences and develop our future plans together.

We will continue to provide updates on our journey via Pennine Post, but would like to hear from you if you want to be involved in shaping your local community and mental health services.

Please register your interest by completing a short online form and we will be in touch soon:

More information about Pennine Care’s services can be found at www.penninecare.nhs.uk

www.surveymonkey.com/s/involve_me

06 ISSUE25

mental health

Taking the time

During May, the 15th annual Mental Health Awareness Week was held. Led by national charity the Mental Health Foundation, the event follows a different theme every year and for 2015 the topic was mindfulness.

What is mindfulness?Mindfulness is a way of focusing on the present moment, often practised by paying attention to the breath as a form of meditation. It encourages people to become more aware of their thoughts and feelings so that they can manage them in a different way with more positive outcomes.

Practising mindfulness can give people more insight into their emotions, boost their attention and concentration and improve their

emotional wellbeing by helping with stress, anxiety, and depression.

Dr Peter Morgan, Clinical Psychologist from Pennine Care’s Healthy Minds service explained: “Mindfulness isn’t a magic bullet that solves all your problems but it does help you by enabling you to respond and relate to difficulties in a different way.

“Take anxiety as an example. Anxiety takes us away from the present moment, as we worry about possible future eventualities or dwell on past events. Mindfulness brings you back to the present moment and helps you to get past those unpleasant feelings. It also teaches us about recognition and acceptance. By recognising when we’re beginning to experience low mood or anxiety, and accepting that it’s entirely normal to have those feelings, we can try to respond to in

a different way and stop them from escalating or continuing.”

As well as being effective at helping people cope with workplace stress and periods of low mood, mindfulness can also help people with physical problems, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic pain.

“Practising mindfulness can give people more insight into their emotions.”At Pennine Care, mindfulness classes are available to all Trust employees through the Staff Wellbeing Service to help with workplace stress. For patients, mindfulness courses form part of the support services offered by Healthy Minds – a service that helps those experiencing common problems such as low mood, stress and anxiety.

The courses typically last eight weeks, with each session lasting two hours and attendees are also required to practice at home. Currently, the Healthy Minds service delivers two main courses: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which is designed specifically to help people manage stress, and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which is proven to prevent recurrent depression.

ISSUE25 07

mental health

Mindfulness in practiceWhen Amy* was facing a battle with anxiety after the birth of her first child, she was referred to Healthy Minds by her GP and discovered a solution that changed her life for the better.

Amy said: “I had been prone to worry since as far back as I could remember. Following the birth of my first child, my anxiety began to feel unmanageable. I found myself having repetitive fears about terrible things happening to me or my child. The anxieties around my health were affecting the quality of my relationships with others and generally diminishing my quality of life.

“My experience of mindfulness has, without doubt, changed my life.”“Living in fear of something terrible happening, most commonly a fear of being diagnosed with cancer, was leading me to, at times, withdraw from everyone and everything around me. I struggled to concentrate and communicate effectively; a lot of the time I generally felt lost in my thoughts.”

Alongside a course of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Amy was introduced to mindfulness. She decided to take part in a mindful-based stress reduction (MSBR) course, which proved to be a big step towards recovery.

Amy said: “I had read about MBSR and was excited to be part of the group. The group was a remarkable learning experience and at times, incredibly challenging. I experienced frustration and difficulty over the eight weeks and the meditations we practised helped me to embrace them and deal with them intuitively and positively. I felt the way the course had been set out, the resources and the home practice tasks, were all excellent. There was a level of intimacy and quiet respect between all of the group members and, by the end, an understanding that we had all shared something important.

“My experience of mindfulness has, without doubt, changed my life. It gave me the tools I need to respond well to stress and anxiety in an everyday practical sense. Mindfulness has given me the courage and strength to face, and accept, the inevitable difficulties in life; I feel I can respond to the judgements my mind makes about perceived problems with perspective and awareness rather than reacting with irrational fear. I also feel I am a more patient and intuitive parent, wife, sibling, friend, teacher

etc. Most importantly though, mindfulness has

afforded me the clarity to really trust myself and fully appreciate, with ‘a beginner’s mind’, all

the magnificence and joy in life.”

to be mindful

*Name changed for this article

For more information about mindfulnessVisit www.freemindfulness.org or www.bemindful.co.uk

To contact your local Healthy Minds service for information about courses available nearby, visit www.penninecare.nhs.uk/healthyminds

08 ISSUE25 ISSUE25 09

members

Get more involved in Bury’s health servicesThe Trust is considering how members can become more involved in helping shape local services and has commenced a project with the Public Governors and members in Bury. These are changing times for local health provision, with a need to transform health and social care services, and we would like to engage our membership in taking services forward, ensuring that they are designed based on local need.

If you are a Bury resident and are interested in getting to know more about the work of the Bury Governors and services provided by Pennine Care in Bury, we would like to hear from you.

It might be that you are happy to remain just as you are now, alternatively you might be interested in joining a focus group where your views will be sought on a variety of local health issues.

If you would like to become involved, we would be very pleased to hear from you!

Please email the membership office on the address below, detailing how you might like to be involved and we will contact you to discuss.

Membership officeTel: 0161 716 3374/3960 or alternatively you can email: ftmembership.penninecare@nhs.net

The 2015 elections to join the Trust’s Council of Governors commenced in March and will run through to June to fill 11 vacant Public Governor Seats and two vacant Staff Governor seats. A series of pre-election roadshows has taken place across the Trust footprint to provide potential candidates with information on the election process and the Governor role. Nominations closed on Monday 11 May.

Election process – next stepsIf more than one candidate nomination is received for a vacant seat, a list of candidates will be published, allowing for a contested election to take place.

The 2015 Governor Elections are being managed by UK-Engage, as Independent Returning Officer.

Look out for your ballot papers – we need your votes!Towards the end of May, every member within a public or staff group constituency holding a contested election will be sent a postal ballot paper to vote for a Governor to represent their area. Please note the elections run to a strict timetable, therefore if you wish to vote, you will need to return your ballot paper to the

Independent Returning Officer no later than 5.00 pm on Friday, 19 June 2015.

The results will be announced on Monday, 29 June 2015 and our new governors will commence in post on 1 July 2015.

If you have any queries with regards to the election process, please contact the Membership Office on 0161 716 3374/3960 or email ftmembership.penninecare@nhs.net.

Seeking your viewsOne of the roles and responsibilities of the Council of Governors is to engage and seek your opinions. You can send your comments or questions by email, or alternatively, Governors are willing to attend community/support groups within the Trust’s boroughs to explain their roles and listen to your views about Trust services. If you are a member of a group and feel it would benefit from a Governor visit, please email details of the group, where and how frequently it meets, and a contact name and number to: governors.penninecare@nhs.net

2015 Governor Elections

If you have any queries regarding the election process, please contact the Membership Office on 0161 716 3374/3960 or email ftmembership.penninecare@nhs.net

To receive your newsletter via email, please forward your name and postal address to: ftmembership.penninecare@nhs.net

Help us save money (and trees!)

08 ISSUE25 ISSUE25 09

members

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust has become part of the Dementia Action Alliance – a network of health and social care organisations that work together to improve the lives of local people with dementia.

John Reddy, Public Governor for Tameside and Glossop is a valuable member of the Hattersley Dementia Friendly Communities Project Steering Group.

The group meets 4 times a year to consider developments in the area and how members can guide the team through local knowledge and networks. John tells us that he finds the meetings very interesting and informative, and that he is pleased Governors are attending on behalf of Pennine Care.

The arts for health and wellbeing achievement awards event was organised by the Multicultural Arts and Media Centre in the borough of Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale.

The event proved to be a success after attracting around 90 people on Saturday 18 April.

The Pennine Care membership recruitment team as well as Patient Advice and Liaison Team (PALS) were at the event to recruit and engage with members and the general public.

Activities included:

• Arts and crafts workshops

• Project achievement award

• Multicultural performances and poetry

Arts for Health and Wellbeing Achievement Awards Event

NHS trust joins national Dementia network to improve care

• Health and wellbeing projects

• Young peoples performances

• Musical performance by Sanyogita Kumari

For more information on the Trust and to attend events in your area, please go to www.penninecare.nhs.uk or telephone the membership team on 0161 716 3960/3374.

Pictured: (Left) Dom Healey Membership Officer and Panita Chouhan, PALS Officer with visitors to the stand.

Pennine Care, which provides older people’s mental health services across Oldham, Bury, Rochdale, Stockport and Tameside and Glossop, has joined the support network and will work closely with partner organisations including local councils, NHS clinical commissioning groups and the Alzheimer’s Society, to improve the lives of people living with dementia and their carers.

To join the Dementia Action Alliance, the Trust developed an action plan that demonstrates how it ensures the early signs of dementia are detected and how it provides care and support for those living with the illness.

Dementia affects more than 830,000 people in the UK and the number of people living with dementia in

the North West is expected to reach 100,000 by 2021. It is hoped that by working as part of local alliances, organisations can provide greater support for people living with dementia, their families and carers.

The Dementia Action Alliance is hosted by the Alzheimer’s Society and has almost 2,000 members across England including public sector organisations, charities and voluntary groups. There are 108 local alliances that work to improve care and support for people with dementia within specific areas.

For more information, visit www.penninecare.nhs.uk or www.dementiaaction.org.uk

10 ISSUE25

self-care

In the last few years there has been increasing availability and use of a range of new psychoactive substances (NPS), commonly known as ‘legal highs’.

NPS is an umbrella term used to describe a broad range of substances with different properties. They include a wide range of synthetic and/or plant based chemicals intended to mimic the effects of illegal drugs e.g. stimulants like cocaine and amphetamine, hallucinogens like cannabis and LSD, sedatives like diazepam and ketamine and mood altering/enhancing drugs like ecstasy. However, they escape legal control by having subtle alterations in how they are made.

NPS are widely available from high street shops and the internet in a variety of formulations, such as powders, crystals, tablets, capsules, liquids, pre-rolled joints, smoking blends and herbal mixtures.

It’s all in the marketingMany suppliers use descriptions such as bath salts, incense or plant food.

‘Legal highs’ – just because they are legal doesn’t mean they are safe!

They are sold in brightly coloured packaging under the disguise of harmless products like herbal blends, incense, air fresheners, research chemical powders or pills and state on the packaging that they are ‘not for human consumption’.

Some are cleverly marketed as being plant-based natural highs – suggesting they are more natural and therefore less dangerous than other drugs. However, NPS are far from harmless, with increasing reports of a broad range of adverse effects to both physical and mental health. There are often no ingredients listed on the packet, so it is very hard to know what is being taken.

Common NPS and the dangers‘Legal highs’ are powerful and dangerous mind-altering chemicals. They can be lethal to anyone, but especially to those who are mentally ill and those taking prescribed psychoactive medication.

The term ‘legal highs’ implies that these substances are safe and approved, but in fact they have not been tested for toxicity or regulated for potency or purity.

“They are sold in brightly coloured packaging under the disguise of harmless products like herbal blends”There are four main chemical groups: synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, piperazine derivatives and hallucinogens. NPS generally have a ‘street name’ such as ‘Red Dragon’, ‘Mr White’, ‘Pink Panthers’ or ‘Vanilla Sky’.

The effects from each product varies, but all can cause a range of dangerous side effects such as raised blood pressure, seizures, hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia, difficulty breathing, liver or heart failure and heart attacks. There have been cases where the side effects have led to death.

Know the factsAs part of our commitment to protecting the communities we serve, we have developed a new information booklet.

This contains descriptions of some NPS, common street names, side effects and the risks. It also provides advice about how to help someone who experiences an adverse reaction to taking an NPS.

You can download a copy of the booklet on our website at: www.penninecare.nhs.uk.

ISSUE25 11

mental health

The number of children and young people experiencing emotional and mental health issues is ever increasing.

Combined with the financial challenges we face and the increasing complexity of conditions, we need to change the way we currently deliver our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

We have worked in partnership with a range of stakeholders to undertake a review and re-design of our CAMHS, which aims to:

• Support the development of healthier, happier and more resilient communities that, in turn, will support children to develop positive self-esteem and good emotional health

• Ensure that children, young people and their family have access to the right support, in the right place, at the right time

• Enable emotional, social and mental health problems to be identified and tackled as early on as possible before they become worse

Child and adolescent emotional wellbeing and mental health services are changing for the better

To achieve these aims, we are developing a new pathway of care, which will include the following:

Sharing expertise:We will offer increased consultation, training and advice to professionals who work closely with children, young people and their families on a day-to-day basis and therefore know them best. This could include GPs, school nurses, health visitors, social care professionals, teachers or school support services.

They will be supported to effectively identify any problems and issues early on and to provide the right support, which will increase the chances of successful recovery.

This will also ensure that those who require more specialist CAMHS can

be offered support more quickly.

Working with voluntary groups:Our specialist CAMHS staff will work closely with voluntary groups and other agencies to develop improved ways for families to help their children to maintain good emotional health.

This will increase the support that is available from our CAMHS alone and

ensure children, young people and their families can benefit from the wide range of knowledge and support offered by these agencies.

Delivering services differently:Our services will be delivered in new, innovative and flexible ways. This will including the use of online resources

and apps, increased group offers, flexible timing and venues and

increased access to parent and peer mentor support.

BenefitsThe re-design of CAMHS will deliver a range of benefits including early access to the right support, clearly defined goals and outcomes, better co-ordination of care, a more seamless experience, a reduction in the number of repeat referrals, an increasingly skilled workforce and increased choice for service users.

While there is a huge amount of work to do, we are committed to ensuring the new ways of working are implemented as quickly as possible – while ensuring services remain high quality and safe.

To have your say on the re-design, or for more information, contact your borough’s CAMHS team. Contact details are available at www.penninecare.nhs.uk (via the service directory search box).

You can find out more about CAMHS at: www.withuinmind.nhs.uk

a day in the life ...

What are the most rewarding aspects of your job?The most rewarding part of the job is when you change a patient’s life for the better. Many patients are unaware of the wealth of experience we have in Trafford and the wide range of services available, so it’s rewarding when I know I have referred a patient on to an agency that will be able to help them further. Patients are known to thrive better in their own homes, so being able to nurse patients in the comfort of their own homes and give them continuity of care is rewarding.

What’s the hardest thing?We’re lucky that we get to see patients on a regular basis allows because it allows for a professional report to be built. Unfortunately, with age, people pass away and I find that this is the hardest part of the job.

What sort of patients do you see?Mainly people suffering with heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) but we also see many with social issues and dementia.

How do unwind after a tough day?

A cup of tea, chocolate and silence.

What did you want to be when you were younger?I wanted to be a typist – I didn’t know what a secretary was!

... of a Nurse PractitionerTo help you get to know more about the range of services we offer, we profile a different person within each edition of Pennine Post. This time we caught up with Laura Ahmed, Nurse Practioner at Trafford Community Enhanced Care (CEC) Service

Name Laura Ahmed

Position Nurse Practitioner

Location Trafford Community Enhanced Care (CEC) Service

Time in post 18 months

What does your role involve?I work in the Community Enhanced Care (CEC) service.

It has two parts – urgent care and neighbourhood teams. If we get a referral for urgent care, we usually go out to see those patients within six hours to provide care. The main aim is to avoid hospital admission where possible, so we deliver urgent care in the patient’s own home to save them having to go into hospital.

The neighbourhood teams work across the Trafford borough and help manage patients with long term conditions, including those associated with ageing, within their own homes.

The enhanced care teams are based on a neighbourhood footprint across Trafford and will support patients who are registered with GP practices in that neighbourhood.

Why did you choose this role?I am interested in health promotion so I prefer nursing in a proactive way that helps to keep people healthy and supports them to manage their condition at

home. I feel this suits me as a practitioner, more than

the reactive way that most nurses working

in hospital settings provide care.

12 ISSUE25